Combination mold and dispenser



Feb. 26, 1963 M. USHKOW COMBINATION MOLD AND DISPENSER Filed Sept. 24, 1959 INVENTOR.

MEYER USHKOW F I G. 4

ATTORNEYS MOLD AND DISPENSER Jamaica, N.Y., assignor to Rich Hill Richmond Hill, N.Y., a corporation of This invention relates generally to packaging, and is especially concerned with dispensing-type packages.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending patent application Serial No. 638,642 filed February 6, 1957, now US. Patent No. 2,932,386.

While the packaging device of the present invention has been primarily developed and employed for use 'n conjunction with pharmaceutical materials, especially vaginal suppositories, and will be illustrated and described hereinafter with particular reference thereto, it is appreciated that the advantageous features of the instant invention are capable of many, varied applications, all of which are intended to be comprehended herein.

As is well known, various articles are compounded or prepared in a fluent condition, and subsequently poured into molds to harden or set, from which they are later removed and wrapped or otherwise packaged for distribu tion and sale. Obviously, this procedure is time consuming, and otherwise costly, as well as being unsatisfactory for use with certain materials or under certain conditions, say with vaginal suppositories which liquefy or melt at only slightly higher than normal room temperature.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging device which is extremely well adapted for economical mass-packaging operations, enabling fluent material to be poured into the device, where it may set or solidify in its final condition of use, and there being very well supported to resist distorting forces and retain its desired condition of use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a packaging device of the type described which may be quickly and easily opened and the packaged article removed therefrom in its desired condition of use without mutilation or other damage to the article.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of a packaging device having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraphs wherein the packaged article is adapted to be hermetically sealed to prevent contamination, and also .to prevent leakage, even under conditions of elevated temperature or pressure. Moreover, should an article contained in the instant packaging device become fluent, it may again solidify or harden at normal temperature for use in its desired solid, configuration.

Still a further object of the present invention resides in the provision of a package having novel characteristics which combine with the shape or configuration of a vaginal suppository or similar article to permit of a unique- 13 simple and highly efficient package-opening procedure.

Other objects of the present inventionwill become-apparent upon reading the following specification and-referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a package constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention and comprising a lower part or container and a flexible "stem cover, said flexible cover being shown partly removed from the container.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the package, but showing the cover completely in place on the container.

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the cover removed and showing an article partly ejected from the container.

Upon reference to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that it shows a package including a lower part or container 11 and an upper part or cover 12 The lower part or container 11 may be integrally fabricated of sheet material, such as plastic, and is in the form of a receptacle 13 having a peripheral, outwardly extending flange 21 connecting therewith at its upper edge. Said integral flange 21 and receptacle 13, making up the container 11, may advantageously be formed by vacuum molding or other suitable procedure; and container 11 is preferably of a material having suflicient stiffness to be form-retaining while permitting manual deflection or deformation thereof. Optionally, and without limitation thereto, container 11 is made of a plastic such as polyethylene.

Said receptacle 13 is generally wedge-shaped and is somewhat elongated and is symmetrical about its principal axis which is taken to be the longitudinal axis of container 11. Said receptacle 13 includes a generally flat bottom wall 15 which is of generally triangular or wedge-shaped configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, having itsfront corner portion rounded or blunted, as designated by the reference numeral 16.

Receptacle 13 further includes a wall extending peripherally about wall 13 and upstanding therefrom, and having side wall portions 18, rear wall portion 19, and front wall portion 20. The two side walls 18 extend in con verging relation toward the front of receptacle 13 along the oppositely converging side edges of the generally wedge-shaped bottom wall 15, while the rear wall 19 extends along the base or relatively wide rear end edge of the bottom wall 15, between the more spaced ends of side walls 18. Front wall 20 extends along the shorter front end edge of bottom wall 15, between the more closely spaced ends of side walls 18. While the walls 18, 19 and 20 are all inclined outwardly to afford draft in formation of receptacle 13 and removal of an article therefrom theshorter front end wall 20 is preferably provided with additional outward inclination as is clearly shown in FIG. 3, to facilitate ejection or extension of an article from within the receptacle, as will appear presently.

Flange 21 extends outwardly from the upper end of walls 18, 19 and 20 and is flat and generally rectangular. Said flange 21 has a front end 17 which extends laterally. Optionally and preferably, at least one corner of flange 21 is cut away. Illustratively, the two front corners of flangeZl are cut away at approximately a 45 degree angle to front edge 17, as indicated by the reference numerals 17a.

Container 11 is preferably an integral piece and is preferably fabricated of plastic material and form retaining but flexible or deformable characteristics. The container may advantageously be fabricated by vacuum molding from sheet material, or by any other suitable process, and may of course consist of multiple receptacles, such as 13, formed in a single coplanar flange 21 in any suitable arrangement.

An article of manufacture 22, which is advantageously and optionally a vaginal suppository of form-retaining but low melting point material, is conformably received in receptacle 13. In manufacturing practice, article 22 may be molded directly in receptacle 13 by pouring the bilateral "bf the 's'u p '3 os itory or other article directly into the receptacle and permitting solidification of the mate rial. Article 22, therefore, assumes the wedge-shaped configuration of the receptacle. V I

Covering sheet 12 overlies and is in facingengagement withthe upper, surface of container flange 21. Said covering sheet 12may be fabricated of any suitable flexible sh'eet material preferably impervious material, and

.is adhesively secured in facing engagement with flange :11 so as to extend about and extend completely across receptacle 13. The adhesive securement of sheet 12 to flange 21 may be of any suitable type, such as pressuresensitive adhesive coating, heat-sealed plastic or other, and is preferably of a nature permitting removal or stripping of cover 12 from container 11. Thus, cover 12 m'ay "be a Cellophane tape having a pressure-sensitive adhesive boating; orif receptacle 13 is made of polyethylone," sheet 12 may also bemade of polyethylene and may be secured toflange 21 byheat-sealing.

"Preferably, in the finished article, cover 12 is substantially rectangular; and the two side and rear edges of cover '12 register with the two 'si'de and rear edges of 11 118621. Preferably, the front edge 12b of cover '12 is spaced slightly rearwardly of'front edge 17 of flange 21 but is located slightly forwardly of the rear ends of corneredges 17a. This provides'front corner portions 120 of cover 12 which protrude beyond corner edges17a offl'angeZl. This also provides "a front region 9 of flange 21 whi'ch 'is not covered by sheetor cover 12. In FIG. jl, cover 12 is'illustratively shown as provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating 12a. This coating, however, does not extend t-o'the protruding corners 120. The "adhesiv'e'effect'of coating 12a, at the 'corner"12c,"maybe removed by permitting the adhesive todry in air, by dipping the'co'rner 120 in talc or other powder, or by any other suitable'means, In the case in which coveri12 is heat-sealed to 'fiange21, then of course the heat-sealing is omitted at the 'corners12c.

The above'c'onstruction facilitates removal of cover "sheet 12 fromffiange 21. Tneoperator can'grasp the exposed portion 9 i flange 21 withfone hand, and grasp one" of thecorners 12c'of sheet'12 with the other hand, and then'pull back'sheet'12, 'as' shown inFIG. l,'to strip the sheet from flange 21. V V

After removal of the cover sheet'iz from container 11 toexpose article 22in itsrecep'ta'cle 13, bottom wall '15 of recepjtacle 13 maybe manually deformed'npwar'dly,

"to the conditionjof EIGJ I. jBy reason of the wedges'hap'e'd; configuration of receptacle 13' and article 22, as well as the relatively 'in'clined 'configuration' of receptacle front wall 20, anupward force'on the underside of bottom 'wall 15 deflects the lattert'o'the condition of FIG. '4, in

"which 'the relatively liglitz-weight fronfportionprnose of the article is extended upwardly beyond flangeZl, while the relatively large remainder of the article is well supportedon'bottom 'wall15. This provides, extension ofejection of article 22, for'easy 'removal from receptacle 3 'While permitting 'suchfaction with minimum possib'lity of deformationfof the article.

the foregoing, it will be apparent that the 'pack- "agenotonly provides a highly advantageous means for shipping and storingof the contained articlebut also in itssiiigle' 'recepta'cleform illustrated in the drawing, for

dispensing the article; and it will also be apparent that the package lends itself admirably well to mass production techniques, such as by continuous vacuum forming of container 11, subsequent ejection or pouring of material into the receptacle 13 andfinal application of covering sheet 12 to flange '21'covering the formed articles.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, and various changes, omissions and additions which may be made in the invention have been described, it will be apparent that various other changes, omissions and additions may be made in the invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

I l. A combination mold, holding and dispensing device comprising a container integrally fabricated of stiff flexible material and including a bottom wa1l, a plurality of upstanding side walls extending peripherally about said bottom wall and an outstanding flange extending peripherally about the upper edges of said side walls, said container being adapted to conformably receive an article, and a flexible cover sheet adhesively secured in strippable facing engagement with the upper surface of said flange entirely about and across said upper edges of said side walls to cover an article contained in said container, said flange being generally rectangular and having at least one corner diagonally cut away, said cover sheet being generally rectangular and protruding beyond said flange at the cut away corner thereof, at least one edge of said cover sheet adjacent said cut away corner being slightly spaced inwardly of the corresponding edge :of said-flange adjacent said cu-t away corner, to facilitate manual grasping of said flange at the uncovered portion thereof and of said cover sheet at the protruding portion thereof for stripping said cover sheet from said flange.

H 2. A combination mold, holding and dispensing device according to claim 3, said container being fabricated of material adapted to be flexed to initiate extension of said article from saidcontainer, the bottom wall of said container extending longitudinally and having a front end tip, the side edges of said bottom wall diverging rearwardly so as to define a wedge-shape of said bottom wall which is symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal line, the upstanding wall at the front tip of said bottom wall being inclined upwardly forwardly, said bottom wall being dcformable upwardly about a lateral line whiclris spaced rearwardly from saidfront tip to extend a contained article from said receptacle while effectively supporting said article on said bottom wall rearwardly of said lateral line.

References Cited' in the file of this patent UNITED STATES- PATENTS 1,576,088 Bunz Mar. 9, 1926 2,612,261 'Percopo Sept. 30, 1952 2,649,392 Marshall Aug. 18, 1953 2,676,428 Silver Apr. 27, 1954 2,736,656 Marshall Feb. 28, 1956 2,750,294 Peters e June 12,- 1956 2,866,542 Svirchev Dec; 30, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 983,943 France Feb. 21, 1951 1,091,839 France Nov. 3, 1954 

1. A COMBINATION MOLD, HOLDING AND DISPENSING DEVICE COMPRISING A CONTAINER INTEGRALLY FABRICATED OF STIFF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL AND INCLUDING A BOTTOM WALL, A PLURALITY OF UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY ABOUT SAID BOTTOM WALL AND AN OUTSTANDING FLANGE EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY ABOUT THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID CONTAINER BEING ADAPTED TO CONFORMABLY RECEIVE AN ARTICLE, AND A FLEXIBLE COVER SHEET ADHESIVELY SECURED IN STRIPPABLE FACING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FLANGE ENTIRELY ABOUT AND ACROSS SAID UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS TO COVER AN ARTICLE CONTAINED IN SAID CONTAINER, SAID FLANGE BEING GENERALLY RECTANGULAR AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE CORNER DIAGONALLY CUT AWAY, SAID COVER SHEET BEING GENERALLY RECTANGULAR AND PROTRUDING BEYOND SAID FLANGE AT THE CUT AWAY CORNER THEREOF, AT LEAST ONE EDGE OF SAID COVER SHEET ADJACENT SAID CUT AWAY CORNER BEING SLIGHTLY SPACED INWARDLY OF THE CORRESPONDING EDGE OF SAID FLANGE ADJACENT SAID CUT AWAY CORNER, TO FACILITATE MANUAL GRASPING OF SAID FLANGE AT THE UNCOVERED PORTION THEREOF AND OF SAID COVER SHEET AT THE PROTRUDING PORTION THEREOF FOR STRIPPING SAID COVER SHEET FROM SAID FLANGE. 